Sayla's Secret Valentine
by The wiErDos Association
Summary: When fate brings Sayla to our lovable dragonslayer, a new love would begin to sprout between two opposite people and learn the feelings they have for each other. NatsuxSayla two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Heya guys. wiErD here. To celebrate this Valentine's Day, here's another of my favorite crack pairing one shot. Apologies for the late upload.**

 **Hope you like it ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Mashima owns them all except my plots.**

* * *

 **\- When Two Opposites Met Each Other -**

They say demons never cared about humans.

That they don't harbor the same feelings as that of them.

For demons, yes.

No one in their right mind would ever come to talk to a human, let alone befriend with it.

Sayla could hardly think of a way to exploit the human heart. The very concept of the ones she called playthings continued to baffle her thoughts throughout these centuries. Her study of them and their emotions have intrigued her for quite some time.

At first, she regarded these emotions as nothing of an illusion that blinds their judgment that it is completely unnecessary for the demons to exploit into.

She accumulated knowledge between the histories of demons and humans. Her safe haven was nothing more but a collection of books that she all read to understand the world itself.

She always enjoyed the spare time reading books all day while ignoring her other demon comrades' petty squabbling.

...

Comrades... isn't exactly the right word to put in her other demon allies.

They're more like acquaintances, though with the exception of Lord Mard Geer who leads their guild and Kyoka, her most trusted admirer.

Of course, the affection she had with the other female demon was only out of admiration to her ruthless nature. After all, they're all demons. So the display of their hatred towards humans should be a token of appreciation.

But all of that has nothing to do with her current thoughts today.

Sayla doesn't feel right on getting on her feet from the long couch as she took another cycle of sifting through the same books she read a few minutes ago. It was her fourth sigh.

A soft yet dangerous sigh...

There are different meanings to describe that unusual behavior for a demon like her. As one of the Nine Demon Gates, she carries the same deathly sensation alongside with the rest of the Tartaros.

But today's is something different.

Her boredom accumulated. Not because of the books she repeatedly read but rather the life she currently lives at inside Plutogrim. It's been a long time since they went into hiding. The world outside is peaceful and the two other dark guilds that represent their alliance are already defeated by some guild.

She knew that they would be making a move quite soon as well but it seems like they have to wait a bit longer until the time was right.

That was the plan yet the time she has to wait is still ongoing and she can't handle herself being in the same room without anything to keep her interested. If given the chance, she could've satisfied herself with slaughter but that would cause suspicion from the Magic Council and the plan would eventually deem a failure if that happens.

And that's also the reason why she can't do anything to let loose without screwing their long-time plan.

Another sigh was released.

"Oi, demon girl. Are you deaf?" A voice suddenly declared.

Sayla's brows twitched in response as she looked towards the door and saw one of her demon ally standing beside it as if he was expecting her.

"What is it this time, Jackal? You know I hate someone interrupting me in my spare time." She answered calmly though with a venomous stare that spell death when angered.

"Heh, glare all you want. I wouldn't be even doing this if not for that Kyoka."

It was then her eyes lit up in anticipation.

"Kyoka-sama? What did she want?"

"She needs you at the Hell's Core. Another human experiment is needed for demonic transformation." He revealed.

"Is that so? Very well, I'll see to it then." She hated agreeing with him so she answered unhappily until her feet dragged her off the couch and went straight to the door where Jackal was waiting.

"Tch, if you don't like it like that then why even bother following that stupid woman?"

"Do you want me to strangle you?"

"Setting your room on fire would be nice too."

"Die, stupid dog."

"Yeah, whatever." They're never gonna get along in the future.

Sayla and Jackal have been each other's throats and would often disagree with each other. If Sayla knew that the Bomb demon would be this idiotic, she wouldn't have to resurrect him once he dies.

But Mard Geer needs him as well so let's not.

Leaving her room, she proceeded down to the familiar hallways of the huge castle within a giant cube. It only consisted a couple of barren wastelands and a small sea the separates it like islands at a glance. Almost like a miniature planet though with the unusual cube-like shape. In those islands sits their headquarters which consisted of the large castle adorned with large curved obelisks that surround its front.

Some of the demons are not entirely present within their headquarters as opposed to several of the members being outside of the cube who were currently in hiding.

Sayla made her way to another part of the hallway where she was greeted by a bunch of other lesser members of the guild.

"Good morning, Sayla-sama. Kyoka-sama has been expecting you." The leading captain of the members uttered as he saw the demon girl make her appearance.

"I was informed... Is she inside?"

"Yes..."

"Very well. You may take your leave." With that, the leader bowed in response alongside with his subordinates as they left the hallway, leaving only her alone towards the giant door located in front of her.

There were several exceptions of Tartaros taking in humans as their subordinates. These people aren't exactly normal as they called them since they were all cultists that worship Zeref and revered him as their some sort of god.

They have their absolute trust of the Black Mage and see the demons as their second-in-command due to them being created by Zeref himself in hopes of killing his immortality.

Sayla knew that as well but she couldn't care less of the notion of killing the Black Mage. Her interests simply lie on humans and Kyoka alone. It almost seemed like she had replaced her purpose of killing Zeref into serving the latter.

Other demons think differently about that matter. Even Kyoka herself had made sure her true purpose remains strong unlike her who already thrown it aside just to become her servant despite being demons.

She opened the giant doors as the next room revealed a large set of capsules attached with giant roots from beneath. Sayla walked inside and saw some of the containers contained some humans who were being tested in demonizing their bodies.

The circumstances about these humans were different from the cultists. They were more like collected samples in testing their experiment for further study. Others were probably simply taken out on a whim just for the enjoyment of their suffering.

However, Sayla wasn't here for that matter.

Instead, she gazed towards the person figure standing on one of the capsules, seemingly examining the human being tested inside.

"Kyoka-sama. You called for me." Said demon took her eyes for a moment as she saw Sayla coming into view.

"Ah, indeed I am... You see, we got a bit of a problem with the testing progress." She turned her gaze back on the capsule with a serious expression.

Sayla also followed her gaze as she started speaking.

"...It looks like our demonizing experiment hasn't gone quite successful and we've yet to produce a successful specimen. There are two candidates that were about to get tested for demonization but I fear the result might end terribly since we had no way of getting past the problem." She explained.

"What problem?"

"The human heart..."

"H-Hai?" Sayla felt dumbfounded for a second there before regaining her composure.

"You see, it seems like the humans we've been collecting this month has shown a powerful emotion that gets in the way of our experiment. Every human has shown signs of the same emotion and I can't make out why this happens. So I'd like to propose a small mission."

"A mission... For me?" Sayla clarified.

"That's right... I want you to head out at once and find out the source of these emotions coming from the humans. I fear that this may lead to a serious matter if we continue to face them with such a mysterious phenomenon. Humans are fragile creatures so I'd like to you to find the source and learn how to destroy it." Kyoka suggested.

"...If the source turns out to be quite troublesome, I'll give you the permission in dismantling it with your powers. Although keep in mind that you should be wary of the eyes of other people around or else you might foil our plan in the next few months."

"I understand. So I'll just have to masquerade as a human and find out what's causing this unusual emotion, am I right?"

"That is correct."

"Then I'll head out at once, Kyoka-sama. I'll promise you won't disappoint."

"I already knew you weren't. But keep in mind that you should not use your power carelessly unless necessary, understand."

"Yes, Kyoka-sama."

"Then, this discussion is over."

As quick as their conversation goes, Kyoka eventually worked back on her previous venture as Sayla heads out of the room.

Upon exiting, she soon pondered about the task she was given to.

 _"Disguise myself as a human, huh? Hmm... It wouldn't be so bad to blend with them and find out more about them."_

She thought out loud as she prepared herself to head outside of the guild as soon as possible.

* * *

It's been a long while since she stepped out of the outside world. Years of spending her life inside Plutogrim was definitely boring and she could not express just how much she longed to be on the outside once in awhile.

With the task still in her head as her main priority, she made sure to not lose her track from her original objective.

She turned to look at her current clothing which consisted of her usual clothing of a leopard kimono along. Her markings around her forehead and arms were concealed alongside with the symbol of Tartaros to avoid detection. She also hid her horns which were the most noticeable feature at a first glance which kinda makes her like a normal human being. Her feet remained bare as she didn't bother getting herself some footwear since she wasn't fond of human fashion.

Truth be told, masquerading as a human gives a somewhat weird feeling. She didn't know why but she could not help but feel uneasy about the whole disguising thing.

As if something's bound to happen soon enough.

 _"Iya... I can't falter here now. This is a task from Kyoka-sama and I'll make sure to finish the task as soon as possible."_

She shook her head whilst keeping that thought in mind. Her eyes now turned towards the barren wasteland and looked towards the horizon. She took flight as she levitated from the ground and flew away from the cube and headed straight to find out some clues.

As she flew across the forest landscape in front of her, she felt the cool breeze penetrate her skin for the first time. The glowing rays of the sun radiated the world, showing the landscape's greenery. She could feel a warm feeling as she continued to bathe in the world's magnificent atmosphere. It's usually something that demons would come to despise but for her, it's not that bad at all.

She didn't know if this was the result being constantly living inside Plutogrim that she honestly forgot about the wonders of the other side of the world but one thing's for certain, she definitely did not hate this feeling.

Rather she only had mixed feelings about it. Demons aren't capable of appreciating wonderful things since they're the opposite of good. They're the embodiment of evil and their presence merely spreads misfortune and despair to those around them.

Sayla knew that such a feeling would not possibly surface within her but it looks like it isn't true.

Setting that confusing thought aside, she continued on her flight as she turned to gaze at the beautiful landscape even to the distant mountains on the horizon.

Since she was alone, there's no harm in letting loose from work once in awhile.

...

A few hours passed and the demon girl continued on her flight to find any clues concerning the sudden change of the human heart that hinders their efforts on demonizing their human subjects.

She had been flying around for quite some time and could only spot nothing but lush trees and remote areas away from civilization.

She wondered just how far did they settle their guild away from the humans just so to avoid detection.

Is she wandered this far, it would only mean that their guild was located deep in a forested landscape that no human would ever dare to trudge on.

As expected of Mard Geer, he had a knack of concealing himself completely from the world and waited for a moment to make a move soon. She guessed that it might be one of the advantages they had from the other two dark guilds that were mostly meddling against their own private matters that eventually led to their defeat from their enemies.

Apart from the three guilds that make up the Balam Alliance, Tartaros had only been the elusive one that even the Magic Council cannot hope to discern their location or even their strength.

Sayla recalled what Kyoka had warned her about the same thing about not exposing her powers too much.

If she were to expose her powers from witnesses, it might start a posing problem for them as the humans might start growing wary of them in the near future.

The world had been peaceful for way too long and it's only a matter of time before another calamity would strike again.

 _"Now where should I start, huh?"_ She thought as she discussed her current mission until―

"Kyaaaaaaa!"

A distressed voice reached her ears despite being in the air. Her eyes spotted a couple being surrounded by a couple of bandits. It's obvious how the situation would turn out.

She could only wonder, though.

Why there are humans in this part of the forest? A couple no less.

It would be interesting to watch how it would turn out as she stopped in mid-air and watched from afar. It looks like the man was protecting his wife from the bandits who carried swords and other weapons that would easily kill the couple if they wanted to―though it looks like they have a different motive.

"Get away, you beasts!" The man barked as he stood defiantly against three men around him while guarding his wife behind his back. He held on the wood in his hand as his weapon against their steel swords. However, in comparison to their weapons, one swing could easily break it in two. Worse, they might kill him just as the same as well.

"Hohoho. Now don't be afraid. We just want a taste of that woman beside yer. Wouldn't mind to lend her quite a bit will yer?"

"Yeah, yeah. The boss' right, mate. If yer gladly leaves her, we might spare yer life too."

"I won't hand her to the likes of you!" The man remained determined to protect her wife no matter what.

"Tch, yer asked for it. Didn't say we warn ya. Kill 'im boys!"

"With pleasure!"

The three men charged at the same time towards the man as he steeled himself in response.

Sayla's eyes quirked in curiosity to how the man remained strong despite in such a terrible situation. She always liked humans giving up in despair but it seems like this one doesn't feel any fear at all against his enemies.

Perhaps this might be one of the clues she might be looking for about the mysterious human emotion that's been hindering their plans all along.

She closed her eyes as soon as she decided.

Just as the bandits were about end things, a sudden burst of dust cloud erupted in between both sides as they were forced to halt their advance and stop as they noticed something fell from the sky. The couple was also taken by surprise as the dust settled, revealing a woman that they don't know of.

Her black hair gracefully fluttered along the wind as Sayla made her appearance in front of two parties.

"Who goes there?!"

"My, my... I was wondering how you humans act around the defenseless. I'm giving you one last chance to turn around and walk away or else..."

"Or else what?" The boss retorted back but his face immediately became frightened as soon as he saw her vicious look.

"I'll make sure your deaths won't be swift as possible."

It was a sign of danger in his eyes. This girl is not like those other two. Whoever she is, she's something they must avoid contact with.

Though despite those warning thoughts, the leader steeled himself and simply ordered his shout towards his other two men.

"W-We're not afraid of the likes of you! Kill her!"

Sayla expected to flee in fear but it seemed like they're more stubborn than she thought.

"Oh, that's where you wrong, human..."

As the two bandits raised their sword above to slash the woman down, Sayla simply gazed her eyes over the two as if staring right into their soul that caused them to stop in their tracks, feeling the induced fear they just felt upon looking at her dark eyes.

An intimidating expression was present on her face as she remained standing between the two men. The leader seemed confused and a little bit of frightened upon what just happened.

"O-Oi! W-What's wrong, yer bastards?! K-Kill her!"

"I-I can't!"

"What do you mean?!"

"I-I can't move at all!"

"This bitch must've done something!"

The two struggled to break free from the control but it was no use. This only made them realize what kind of person Sayla was.

"S-She's... She's a mage, boss!"

"Tsk, it looks like I have to use it!" The leader seemingly pulled out some sort of a magic gun from his pocket and pointed it at the woman's face.

But as he was about to shoot, he felt his body unable to move as well.

"W-What the?! Why can't I move?!" He gritted in frustration as he tried to pulling the trigger but his hands were completely controlled by some unknown force.

Sayla simply walked between the three as she gazed at the leader with a sweet but deadly smile that could scare the shit out of them if they stared for too long.

"I told you before, didn't I? You're making a big mistake fighting someone like me, human... Now how should I do this? Order you to peel off your skin as slowly as possible until you're bleed out to death? I can easily make that happen in just a flick of a finger, you know." Sayla threatened with her voice laced with poison.

The other three could only look in fear as they trembled in their bodies until they found themselves completely under her control.

It was then Sayla realized that the other two people were watching in fear. Her urge to kill immediately receded out from her system as she closed her eyes for a moment and drew back from the group before speaking.

"I want you three to walk as far away as possible. And never ever look back until you're out of sight. Understand?"

"Y-Yes!" They obeyed her command as they turned around to leave without much of a word.

It only took a few seconds until the attackers were out of sight.

Sayla turned towards a tree from her side where she spotted the couple hiding away from the scene.

"It's alright now. They're never going to bother you anymore." She called out to show that she's friendly.

The two figure slightly flinched at her words, probably due to hearing her malevolent tone when she talked with the bandits earlier but they eventually revealed themselves as soon as they were called out in the open.

"Don't worry, I'm not like them. Though I'm surprised to see some humans here in this part of the forest."

"W-We were kinda on a trip when we encountered those guys... T-Thank you for saving us." The man expressed his joy whilst stuttering in front of her.

"R-Really thank you, miss!" The girl beside him added as well.

"Iya... You don't need to express your gratitude to me though I advise you to move away from here as soon as possible, those guys are temporarily under my control so once I leave here, the spell would break." She advised as she turned around to leave.

"W-Wait!" The man called her back. Sayla glanced back with an uncaring look on her face.

"What?"

"At least, let us show our gratitude for saving us awhile back."

The demon girl paused for a moment to think until she looked back again to speak.

"Okay, then let me ask you a question?"

"...Do you know anything about the sudden change of the human emotion at this time of the year? Judging from how you protected her, it seemed like your heart was strong. I'd like to know the source of that."

As if her question would be that easy to answer, the couple drew their heads in a tilted fashion.

"Ah, w-what?"

"Like I said, do you know anything why the human's emotion was stronger than ever at this time of the year? I've been wanting to know the reason behind this unusual change." Her serious expression was in stark contrast to the couple who had their faces completely confused at her question.

Sayla knew nothing would gain from just asking only two people.

More importantly, why did she even bother conversing with them?

It's not like someone's watching them and she could easily silence them due to witnessing her power just now.

Noticing the lack of answer from the two, she changed the question with a sigh.

"Well then, do you happen to know a nearby town around this part?"

"A-Ah, yes, of course! You might want to go north if you want to see Magnolia. It's the nearest town that's located around in these parts." The man answered attentively.

"I see... Then, thank you for your cooperation, human. I'll be off."

She didn't want to talk any further as she took off once more and left the couple behind.

"What a strange girl..." The woman spoke.

"Yeah indeed, though I'm still grateful that she saved us. What did she want to ask anyways?"

"I think she must be referring to..."

The two continued to baffle themselves at the appearance of the demon girl throughout the day.

* * *

 ** _Magnolia (Town entrance…)_**

The information was right.

There was really a town located somewhere around these parts. Sayla landed on a fair distance away from the outskirts as she watched the people carried on their lives working in the fields to start the day.

It looks to her that the town is not as bustling as she thought it would be, judging from its number of people living outside. Then again, this is only the outskirts. The town might hold more surprises than she thought it would. She might need to give herself some extra caution. After all, she's entering into her enemy territory and for some reason; she could feel a tense atmosphere surrounding the town itself as if something must be inside.

Despite not being able to step inside the town, she could already feel a strong presence lurking within that place.

The concentration of magic can be detected.

"Mages, huh? It looks like it won't be as easy as it should." She speaks to herself with a serious look.

She examined herself once again just to see that she was perfectly disguised and eventually started walking towards the town.

As she approaches the town, several more people began to flood the place as the population inside continued to grow. Sayla wondered about the sudden increase of crowds within the area as if there was some kind of event going on.

Her eyes set themselves over at the entrance as she prepared herself to enter for the first time.

...

It only took a few minutes as the demon girl finally stepped into the town of Magnolia for the first time. Her eyes soon widened in surprise at the sight around her.

A sea of people flooded the main street as multiple stores and stalls were opened for them to settle in. The confusing part is that the decoration on almost every other place was somehow similar to each other. In every corner of her eyes, she could see decorations of heart and other props that define the unexpected lighthearted atmosphere.

"W-What the hell is this?" She could only exclaim in shock as the sight of the town was completely decorated beautifully in hearts.

People go by in pairs which consisted of mostly a male and a female to spend their time together happily throughout the day. The number of couples seemingly overwhelms to those who go into groups.

Not only that, the brim laughter of the folks was accompanied by a warm atmosphere that she somehow found repulsive. There was not a single shred of hatred or enmity among their faces. Everything is just washed with happiness.

Was this some kind of a new culture that she didn't know of?

The reason behind the humans' sudden outburst of strong emotions was revealed to her. However, she's yet to understand fully about the source.

"W-What's going on here?"

She could only stand in shock and disbelief at the sight of the people walking past her in happy expressions.

"!―" She felt a light nudge from her back as she saw some kids running past her without looking.

"Uwah, sorry, onee-chan!" The kid who bumped into her immediately apologized. But when he looked at her eyes, he immediately stopped in mid-sentence.

"Oi! What are you waiting for? Let's go!" The voices of his other friends called him back as he looked at Sayla one last time before picking up something from his pocket and handed something into her hands.

"Here's some chocolates, onee-chan."

"U-Unnn..." Sayla unknowingly accepted the offer. Before she could even look back, the kid was already running to meet with his friends waiting for him before looking back at her from a distance.

"Sorry for pushing you. Hope you cheer up with those chocolates. And also, have a Happy Valentine's Day, onee-chan!"

She wanted to say something about what he just said but the group simply left in a hurry without a single word. Sayla looked at the stuff in her hands that looked like candy wraps. She could already smell the sweetness of the contents inside as she turned to open one and revealed dark brown chocolate candy.

 _"Chocolate…huh? I wonder what it tastes like?"_

Despite her complaints, she couldn't deny the sweet smell of the chocolate as if she was tempted to eat one. However, the task that was given to her by Kyoka resurfaced inside her mind as she was forced to lay down her hands and thought about her priorities.

 _"What the hell am I doing? I should find out more what's going on around here."_

Despite all these intriguing things, she must first gain an open ground to find out the source of the strong emotion happening around the humans these days.

This place is surely a perfect chance to find out the source since she could notice every people being happy. As if the concept of sadness and other negative emotions never existed at all. And that's the problem for demons like her to come up with since their curses are based on the negative emotions of the human heart.

Being around in this kind of situation makes her bit weary for some reason.

Slipping the chocolates down to her pocket, she proceeded on.

...

Minutes of scouring around the town and she found no such thing. According to the rumors she heard, it looks like the main reason behind the human's strong emotion was because of the occasion.

"From what I remember, this is called Valentine's Day."

Like what the kid said to her earlier, today is indeed Valentine's Day. According to the sources, it was a time where people from all over the world would gather along with their loved ones and share their moment together.

It was a time where every human would express their love to their loved ones by giving them chocolates. The express of love could be defined in many ways that range from friendship to eventual love.

In other words, it's just a worldwide celebration between humans in sharing their times with each other to appreciate the love they had for each other.

Sayla finally puts all the pieces together.

The reason behind the sudden change of the human emotion was because of this day. The reason why humans became more resistant against the demonization was because of this unknown event that hinders their efforts in the experiment.

Sayla could not help but release a disappointed sigh.

"What the... I came all the way here just because of some petty occasion? If this was the only reason behind the change, then Kyoka-sama would be disappointed to hear the whole thing."

It was not a matter of seriousness of their progress with the plan but rather an embarrassing part for them since they were merely troubled by some yearly celebration that they hardly even know of.

"I'm going home..." She spoke to herself as she found her time wasted here for nothing.

She hardly cared for the happiness of the humans. All she wanted to was to enjoy their suffering. Her demon instincts made her sure of that and seeing this kind of atmosphere in her eyes makes her disgusted to look at it any further.

There was no point in this mission.

 ** _THUD*_**

"Ow, what the hell?!" A sudden nudge to her side caused the demon girl to land on her back as soon as she lost her balance. Apparently, someone had bumped into her without knowing so she stumbled forward to the ground without warning.

"Ah, sorry! I wasn't looking! Are you alright?" The other person who bumped into her by accident immediately called out as he was the first one to recover. It sounded male so Sayla could immediately recognize what kind of person it is.

"Why you humans are so–" She was about to retort in annoyance towards that person until her words came to a halt when her eyes finally met up with the person she bumped into.

It was a male figure, seemingly tall and lean much like in his late teens but having a rather impressive body built structure. His clothes contained nothing but a light set of clothes, seeing how his chest was slightly exposed. A pair of baggy pants occupied his lower clothing but that's not why she had her full attention on that person.

It was the gleaming pink hair that was being shined against the direction of the sunlight behind him that somehow made her stop thinking altogether and became captivated towards it. It fluttered gracefully as the soft winds blew past him.

His face was clearly blinded by the light but it suddenly faded and revealed itself to the demon woman who became mesmerized by his features.

A scaly scarf was seen wrapped around his neck as it fluttered in the air behind him.

She failed to respond at all that the person decided to ask again to snap her out of her trance.

"Are you alright?" This time, he reached out a hand.

Sayla soon managed to regain her composure as she momentarily stared at the hand being present to her as a sign of help.

After a few seconds, she suddenly realized her own place as she brushed off his helping hand before tracing an irritated look.

"I'm fine... I don't need help from a human." She dusted off her clothes and tried to recompose herself as soon as she stood up from the ground, leaving the person standing in confusion right in front of her because of the harsh denial of his help to her.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you." The young man apologized again but it only earned her more annoyance.

"I don't need any apologies... Just get away from me."

Sayla turned her gaze away as she ignored the pinkette and simply focused on her own matters. The person, however, immediately frowned at her reply so he replied back.

"Hey, I was trying to be nice, alright. I didn't mean to hit you like that. It was an accident."

"I know so start moving and disappear from here, human."

The man knew nothing could be gain from having to reason with a woman like her so he simply huffed in annoyance.

"Sheesh, it's not my fault if you got dumped by your lover or something..."

"Wha―" As if his words have ticked her off, Sayla could only turn back at the man who was already walking away with a grumpy look on his face. If she didn't overhear of what he just said, she would've just moved along and gone back but...

 _'This man...'_ She thought as her face adopted a more irritable expression. She proceeded to walk past him and faced him head on.

The man also stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw her figure stood right in front of him with a glare.

"What did you just say to me, human?!" She asked irritably.

"Huh?"

"Who are you to talk like that to someone like me?!" Sayla couldn't help but shout towards his oblivious response.

"Someone like you? I don't see any difference from you. And will you go away already? I already did what you told me so why bother getting worked up over something little as that?!"

"Of course there is! I, a superior being, having to have been talked back by some lowlife who doesn't even know his own place!" Sayla retorted in response as she gave an intimidating look towards him.

She knew she was in a disguise but she can't just let someone talk behind her back like that. Her pride as an Etherious was suddenly put on the line.

She expected him to back away in fright after discreetly showing her true nature towards him but―

The man didn't appear frightened and simply gave off his own angered expression as a vein popped up from his head before shouting back at her in a comical fashion.

"Huwwwaaahhhat?! You, a superior being? Bullshit! I don't know what's troubling you but don't take it out on me, dammit?! I hate women like you." A response that took her by surprise.

 _'I'm gonna kill this guy!'_ Sayla was already at the tipping point. She doesn't care if she was found out by everyone about her true nature. She wanted to send this guy down to the ground for talking back to her.

"Well, I despise humans like you!"

"Will you fucking cut it out with the human thing? Aren't you human too?! You're practically digging your own grave here, woman."

"I'm not digging my own grave! A human like you should be buried instead!"

"It's a figure of speech, stupid!"

"What did you just call me?!"

"Stupid! That's right! I'm looking at you stupid!"

"Why you―"

Because of their heated argument with each other, several people had begun turning their heads over to the duo with sweated looks.

It almost looked like a couple fighting each other for some reason.

Maybe the guy was cheating with his woman and the girl was complaining how she was being betrayed by him and looked like an idiot. Or maybe the guy had enough of the girl that he decided to break their relationship on this day for extra effect.

Whatever it is, the two are causing a scene that is clearly destroying the sweet atmosphere around them.

A lover's fight in Valentine's Day is something that is least expected to happen but it seemed like there were some special cases.

"Mom, why are they fighting?"

"Just turn away, honey. It's bad for you to look at them." Murmurs from other onlookers were heard which most of them trying to avoid their company from getting absorbed within the fight as they turned away from the sight.

The two's argument continued to escalate as both Sayla and the man started butting their heads together, seemingly cannot hold to calm themselves towards each other.

"I hope you're prepared yourself, human," Sayla warned as she slowly began raising her hand to activate her curse.

"Don't say I didn't warn you too. I won't hold back even to a woman like you." The man responded as he raised his hand that soon sprouted crimson flames that caused the demon woman to stop and widen her eyes in disbelief.

A moment of realization went past her as she began to notice him as a mage.

However, just as they were about to clash, a steel fist came crashing down on the pinkette's head as he was simply slammed back to the ground, prompting Sayla to draw back her hand from activating her curse.

The ground where he stood cracked into tiny little pieces as it resulted in a small crater due to the force of the fist slamming right into his head. Any human would die from a fist like that but that's not what surprised the demon girl as she noticed another mage appearing right beside them.

It was a woman, seemingly about the same age as the man. Her overall apparel consisted of a Heart Kreuz armor and a long scarlet hair fluttered behind her back as she moved to grab the unconscious man by his collar and brought him up close to her face.

"One minute I took my eyes off you and you're fighting an innocent woman, huh, Natsu!" She gave off a scolding remark on the unconscious person with a very pissed off look.

Sayla simply stared at the woman with a complicated expression to how she was trying to scold him without utterly knowing the fact that he was knocked out by her punch.

"LISTEN TO ME WHILE I'M TALKING, GODDAMMIT!" Since there was no response due to him being unconscious, the armored woman shook his body tremendously that it somehow sprung the pinkette back to life.

"I'm sorry, Erza! Will never happen again!"

The two exchanged several conversations as the pinkette called Natsu, whom Sayla heard from the other person, kept apologizing in front of the scarlet knight like an obedient boy. Of course, the knight gave some additional scolding remarks in response as Natsu knelt in front of her, listening to every word she says.

What happened to that confident attitude that he showed to her just now?

After a few minutes, the scarlet knight soon turned towards Sayla with an unusually serious look after finishing her conversation with the pinkette.

Sayla's first instinct was to take a step back due to the unnatural magic power the woman has. It was nothing compared to other mages she encountered before and she could tell that this person is somewhat strong that could rival an Etherious.

It would be a bad situation for her if she were to be found out right away.

She remembered how this town is a place where a concentration of magic is strong. This must be the reason behind that phenomenon. There must be guild lying around in this town that probably housed powerful mages like her.

Sayla took heed of her thoughts as she looked at the scarlet woman in caution. She didn't know if she saw through her disguise but whatever it is, it looks like her eyes carried suspicion towards her.

Sayla motioned her hands discreetly to prepare for an attack but she quickly withdrew it back as soon as the woman suddenly bowed right in front of her.

"I apologize for my friend's behavior." She spoke in a rather apologetic manner, surprising Sayla in the process.

"...It seems like he was causing you trouble. Please understand that he might have some sort of a short fuse when it comes to arguments so let me apologize in his behalf."

For a moment Sayla thought that the woman would see through her disguise but it seems like it wasn't the case.

"Hey! It's not my fault, Erza! That woman is just venting out her anger on me so I had to respond!" Natsu called out in protest but was met with another fist that knocked him out cold once more.

"I'm sorry for bothering your time. Then, we'll go on ahead. Sorry for everything." As swift as their conversation goes, the woman dragged the poor pinkette away from the scene, leaving Sayla on the spot as she stared at the duo until their disappeared into a corner.

She even never had the chance to speak but it seems the situation was averted at least.

...At least, that's what she initially thought as her mind began to think back on the scene of her first encounter with the pinkette.

Why did she felt something different after seeing him? This is the first time she'd ever felt something like this in a long time.

Even she did not feel these unusual feelings back at Tartaros. Nor even to Kyoka whom she admired the most. It almost seemed like she was unknowingly drawn towards that man but she didn't know why.

They couldn't possibly have met before now, right?

She didn't know as she tried thinking how to analyze those mysterious feelings that she felt at that time. She also remembered how she tried studying human emotions. She cannot fully comprehend the concept of human feelings due to their differences as a demon from the Book of Zeref.

She wasn't supposed to have these types of feelings but after what's happened, her curiosity grew.

Her original mission was left forgotten as she turned her gaze towards the direction where the pinkette had disappeared into.

...

* * *

"Tch, that Erza... Why did I have to be the one getting punished? Damn, I'm just having a bad day right now." Natsu stomped away from the guild as he casually walked his way downtown with his hands cupped inside his pockets.

After suffering from a 20-minute scolding from the redhead, the fiery dragonslayer grumpily trudged on the road to find some place to clear up his head.

Be nice to everyone, they said.

Well, yeah he did but what he got in return was nothing but an argument by some random woman on the streets that looked like she was mad about something and decided to take it all out on him.

In truth, it was partly his fault for starting it since he said something rather sensitive about her situation. But he didn't expect it to be that case so maybe he went a bit too far on that fight with that woman.

Though he was still bewildered to how she talks back to him like he's some insect to him since she doesn't regard him as a person or anything.

―Natsu simply shook his head sideways.

No, it can't be like that. She must be the type of person who thinks so highly of herself and doesn't care about other people other than herself. He encountered some similar people in the past so he kinda understands why she would talk like that.

 _'But man, no wonder why she was dumped.'_ He thought out loud after making that realization as he walked along the narrow road, leading back to his home.

 _'Ah, there's no need to concern myself on some woman... It's not my problem anyway.'_ Noticing how he keeps on thinking about the same person, Natsu brushed off that thought off his head and went on his way to sit on a bench right beside him.

He needed some time to calm his mind after all that incident.

Plus, he needed to make use of his time on this day as well since everyone is quite having their own plans in the process.

He knew it's Valentine's Day but he had no plans about it until now so he was only one left alone as the others went out on their own to spend their time elsewhere to enjoy themselves. Heck, even Happy had a plan of his own to meet up with Carla and Pantherlily. They probably making some sort of an Exceed party for themselves.

Natsu felt envious of that.

Lucy and Levy went out for some bookstore shopping along with Gajeel while Gray and Juvia went off somewhere though he could see that the latter insisted on letting the ice mage to come along so he had no choice but to come as well. Wendy went with Mirajane and Lisanna alongside with Elfman as well to act as their guard since it's Valentine's Day and all.

Natsu really doesn't understand the last part of that but whatever it is, everyone is having their own time with each other which leaves only him to enjoy himself alone.

Erza was having her own plan as well with Master and the others. She just happens to wander around and saw him along the way while arguing with that woman earlier.

..

..

Once again, he began to remember the woman he argued with before.

Seriously, when will he ever move on from that incident? It is as if something was trying to force him to rethink about those events.

Is this punishment for what those harsh words I said to her earlier? Am I supposed to apologize to her now?

Come to think about it, seeing her face for the first time made it looked like she's not from town. He could tell from the unusual scent he smelled on her after encountering her for the first time. Though there's nothing wrong with her scent, it feels like it was concealing something sinister―almost to the point of a malicious aura.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Will you fucking leave me alone already?!" He screamed out in frustration as his thoughts about the girl continued to linger inside his mind. He had enough, okay?

Give him some peace and quiet.

...

"Screaming out of nowhere for no reason... You're quite the noisy fellow, aren't you?" A voice that he did not want to hear came resounding from above as Natsu looked up and glared in annoyance.

"You again?!"

"You remembered me it seems... Looks like you humans have a bit of a good memory in you." Sayla remarked with a teasing expression as she jumped from the roof and landed a fair distance away from the pinkette. To be honest, her landing isn't quite as simple as falling off from a tree. She easily slowed her descent which makes him assume she was a mage or something but that didn't catch much his attention as he looked at her in irritation.

"What do you mean by that?" Natsu retorted.

"Well, I initially thought that you don't have enough brains to understand a simple thing so I'm quite impressed that you have a good memory."

"You're not letting it down any time now, aren't you? Or do you perhaps you specifically have some business with me?" Natsu narrowed his eyes in response.

"Well, that I do." Sayla nodded at his reply though for a different reason.

"Well, if it was about what I've said to you earlier, I apologize, alright? I didn't know you had some issue going on with your lover so I didn't think I touched a sensitive topic." Natsu finally gave a polite apology towards her but―

The demon girl, on the other hand, suddenly found her cheeks flushing red for some reason. In response, her tough façade crumbled as she hastily denied his somewhat off-course assumption towards her situation.

"I d-did not have a lover! W-Why would you think I was like that?! This is the second time you insulted me!"

"I didn't know... It just came into my mind!" Natsu answered in defense.

"Well, you could've thought of another way other than that, human!"

"Will you stop referring me like that? I have a name, you know."

"I know, it's Natsu, am I right?" She spoke, finally regaining her composure. The pinkette simply stared at her in open shock.

"How'd you know?"

"I heard your other friend there talking to you earlier, remember? Where is she now?" She began to ask after noticing the lack of the scarlet knight beside him.

Natsu crossed his arms with his gaze turned away for some reason.

"She took off with someone else. She just happens to find me along the way and then went back with the others to spend their time on this Valentine's Day." He speaks rather depressingly which soon caught her attention as Sayla began to look curiously at the pinkette in the process.

"You seemed different from the other people I've observed lately." She pondered.

"What?"

"Your face... It doesn't carry any joy in it, unlike from most of everyone around this town. And here I thought that this occasion has a lot of things that could make you happy as a result except you." As soon as she said that, Natsu could only bear a bitter look on his face as he suddenly gazed up at the sky in a rather solemn expression.

"Nah, I kinda brought this on myself. It's not anyone's fault that they have plans on their own while I don't. As a result, I ended up wandering alone myself."

"Hoooh... So you don't have anyone spending with you at this time?" Sayla perked in curiosity.

"Sort of... Though I'm kinda surprised that you can notice someone's feelings right away. I'm just trying to hide it from them so they wouldn't worry about me, to be honest." Somehow, he managed to lift up a small smile towards her after seeing she can sympathize with him.

For a moment there, their hostility against each other dissipated but Sayla's next response simply rekindled that hostility.

"Iya, iya... Don't mistake my words, human... I merely find your situation to be quite appalling to my taste." She grinned seductively which ticked off the pinkette in the process.

"Alright, I take it back! You're not nice!" Natsu stood up in irritation.

"You're welcome." Came the sarcastic remark.

But just as they were about clash yet again, the dragonslayer realized the pointless of their fight as he backed away from her and started scratching his head with a tired look.

"Why do I even bother?" He said as he walked away from the girl.

"Giving up already?" She teased in return as she watched him glanced back at her.

"Like hell, I would give up."

"Then you're running away?"

"I'M NOT RUNNING AWAY!" He walked right back next to her as he turned to face her with an angered but comical expression. Seriously, this girl always finds the right time to lose his composure every time she speaks to him.

But just as he was about to speak any further, Sayla had put her index finger just right on his lips, catching him off guard as her expression turned into something more serious than the last one.

"You owe me so let's make a small deal, shall we?" She paused before speaking again. "Help me understand what this Valentine's Day really is then I will overlook what you just said to me earlier, is that okay?"

"Huh?"

"I'm curious about this new occasion your town is currently holding so I'd like you to accompany me in learning what this day is all about." Her words seemed rather calm and serene, much like different from how she was talking to him before.

It made him stop and think for a bit of what she was saying to him.

"So you're not really angered by something like that incident?"

"I'm not. How many times do I have to tell you that I don't concern myself with such trivial matters?"

"Really?"

"Really."

"But what's in it for me?"

"What?"

"What's my reward on all this? You know I'm not gonna spend my money for showing you around just to not get anything in return." Sayla pondered for a moment before finally replying back with an answer.

"Hmm, I don't know... Memories maybe? I thought humans value memories above all so there's that."

Natsu's head drooped low in depression.

"In the end, I'm getting nothing huh..." Well, it's not like he was going to expect anything from her judging from their brief history with each other. But since she was pleading him for a request, he's gonna have to play along and probably turn their relationship for the better.

Seeing how his expression turned gloomy, Sayla thought about for a second in restating her words back then.

"W-Well, I shall grant you the honor of knowing and speaking my name in exchange..." She paused as Natsu looked towards her in interest. "My name's Sayla."

"Say...la..." The pinkette repeated those words as soon as he heard her name for the first time.

"Hnn... That's my real name. Will that suffice for the compensation?"

Natsu could only look at her with a mix of complicated expressions. Honestly, this girl is annoying yet interesting to hang out with. Although he didn't know her much, she's already displaying a lot of her true character towards him.

Not only that, he could also see her gentle side. Though it was only for a brief moment they were able to take a glimpse of it.

Natsu thought that spending some time with this girl isn't so much of a bad time after all.

He sighed in defeat.

"So... does that cover the compensation?"

"It's not enough but I guess I can't complain about it either." He replied.

"So it's a deal then..." Sayla clarified.

"Deal."

"Then it's settled. I expect great results from you, Natsu."

For a moment there, Natsu wanted to react to how she suddenly addressed her by name but he immediately stopped as Sayla moved to skip a few steps ahead of him as her face soon adopted a rather warm smile, apart from the expression she put up earlier. It wasn't just any kind of smile, Natsu could've easily thought her to be cute in that look as he found himself fascinated by her.

His thoughts were soon cut off as he spoke.

"So this is some kind of a date then." Then it was Sayla's turn to be taken aback as her cheeks immediately blushed at such a word that she could only answer with a stutter.

"W-W-Well, y-you could say that..."

"Well, if that's what you want then let's get going!" Without hearing any more words from him, Natsu began pulling Sayla by her hand towards the busy streets of Magnolia to start their date.

At first, Sayla wanted to get away from the touch as soon as possible but she somehow felt a fuzzy feeling creeping up into her heart as she watched the back of the dragonslayer, holding his hand for the first time.

This is the first time she actually touched hands with a human. His warmth also sends another warm feeling that caused her heart to race fast for some reason.

However, she did not seem to resist to these sensations. In fact, she rather liked it.

With her original objective nearly forgotten and a new development happening around the two, Sayla simply resigned to her desires and let the dragonslayer drag her towards the bustling town of Magnolia.

The gears of fate will soon begin to move as the two opposite sides will join close together.

...

* * *

 **A/N: Sup guys! Hope you have fun reading this short story from my favorite crack pairing. And yes, this is a bit different from the other story where I have the same pairing since I'd like Sayla to be a bit rebellious at one story such as this before she came to know Natsu as END. Oh, don't worry, the next chapter will eventually tie up all loose ends though I expect a slight bit of angst at the last part.**

 **Anyways, I'm still open for new ideas for other pairings but I'm just gonna keep it only at this pairing for now since this is already a late upload to the Valentine's Day celebration a few weeks back.**

 **Thank for reading and I'll see you on the next chapter!**

 **\- The wiErDos send their regards...**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Heya guys. wiErD here. Here's the second chapter of the two-shot story.**

 **Hope you like it ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Mashima owns them all except my plots.**

* * *

 **\- Our Bittersweet Love -**

* * *

The height of the noon continues to progress as the ever lively people of the town of Magnolia celebrate the ongoing occasion. The sweet smell of chocolate slowly waffled through the open air alongside with the peaceful atmosphere surrounding its citizens, giving it an almost perfect place to lay back and have fun.

Natsu could've gone either way on staying at the guild or sleep in a good spot near the south part of town. Yet... he now finds himself dragging alongside with this strange girl he met by chance. As far as the food deities are concerned, he didn't appreciate how his luck with food could turn into an unexpected company.

He stood a few feet away watching as Sayla skipped ahead of him, looking at the bright colors of the decoration plastered around town. Looking from his perspective, her actions resemble that of a child adoring the unseen place.

Anymore without constantly reminding her of her steps, she would've gone face flat on the ground.

...Although, he did kinda wanna see that too.

The girl looked around the beautified town as if it was her first time seeing one. Coming like one of those stories he'd seen from Lucy's novels where a village girl comes to a city and sees a lot of things made the scene in front of him a perfect match.

On the other hand, the pink-haired boy couldn't have much enjoyment on his own since he already familiar with the town. Not even the most secrets of places could go unseen by him and his fellow duo partner after a long time surveying Magnolia for things unknown. Even he still hold pride to that achievement until now.

Added to that, the lack of fun things he couldn't do on this occasion just made him bitter as a result, all because everyone just happened to be busy at the moment.

...Well, if he meant busy, he would mean tagging along with others and walking off all over town without the need to invite him to be part of it.

Natsu didn't hold any slightest grudge but at least someone would be kind enough to invite him along even if it just a boring stroll by the river or some sort. Turns out none of them seemed to have thought of the idea. They're his friends. Shouldn't that be enough to be around with them all the time? Heck, even shopping wouldn't be so boring rather than being left alone in this day.

He battled his thoughts, thinking up different reasons behind such an act towards him.

It's not like he's not much of a troublemaker. He knew when to back down when the situation really calls for it. The little incident with Sayla was just a different matter but it couldn't be far worse.

Even so, the end result of him being left out somehow made him sad in a way.

"Woooooaaaaahhhhh." His eyes traced back to the girl as Sayla awed at the wonderful scenery of Magnolia. His warring thoughts cut short at the sight of her figure pacing in front of him.

"You're gonna trip if you don't watch your step. Be careful." His voice uttered the same warning for the fifth time. This time he raised a bit of his tone, indicating his concern for her wellbeing. Her wandering figure, aimless in any direction because of her excitement and the less attention she had onto herself, just made it all unpleasant for him for some reason.

Besides, looking at the current number of people in town, it's easy to get separated even from just a quick glance.

"If you want to go that bad, at least hold my hand so we won't have to be separated." He grabbed her hand as soon as he caught up to her, feeling a slight jolt from her as she turned towards the unexpected contact. A moment of protest went evident from her face but eventually drowned back to a blush as soon as his words got to her.

Making an expression he didn't expect, Sayla stopped as she looked back at him with flustered cheeks. "S-Sorry... I guess I got carried away."

 _'Now that's a thing you don't see every day.'_

He didn't expect her to make such an expression despite her hostile attitude towards him earlier. Then again, there's little he knew about the girl so he couldn't really judge her personality after just a few hours of meeting with each other.

On the bright side, he might just learn more since this could be an opportunity for him to get to know her better.

Natsu kept that thought in mind as he focused back on her who already began speeding up the pace towards the center of the town where most of the activity is taking place, dragging him along the way with such eagerness.

"Ne, what's this?" She asked, looking at an interesting object beside a stall.

"A gift wrapper."

"How about that?" She pointed.

"A balloon stand."

"And this?"

"A heart-shaped hairpin."

"Oooooooh!"

Sayla continued to baffle herself while Natsu looked at her gapingly. It really kinda looks like she was new to these kinds of things as if she never saw them in her entire life. Something he thought was cute for a second there.

However, he never heard of anyone not knowing about Valentines Day. After all, it's like a common event for everyone all over Earthland so seeing her amazed by the occasion made him a bit surprised. She couldn't be a foreigner, judging from her looks and her way of talking sounds perfectly _Fiore-ish_.

"You really don't know about Valentines Day, aren't you?"

"What? Are you still doubting me?" She peeved.

"Well at first but seeing your expression just now made it all obvious." He made a relieved smile, which is something he didn't expect to do. In addition, he failed to notice the slowly reddened face culminating from the girl as Sayla suddenly felt her cheeks hot all of a sudden once again although for a moment.

"H-Hmph―Such pitiful words won't shake me! From now on, you're not allowed to utter such compliments."

"Huh? Why not?"

"It's uncomfortable... I won't need any more of that."

Upon hearing that, Natsu, whose face contorted to a twisted look from behind, managed to find something interesting to mess with the woman in front of him. Looking like one of those mischievous smiles from a certain blue Exceed, the pink-haired dragonslayer turned his eyes away for a moment as he replaced his expression innocently before speaking.

"You know... Now that I think about it, your hair kinda looks nice."

...

Sayla swore she wanted to repeat what he just said as she couldn't help but resist the growing embarrassment welling up in her cheeks. Looking back, she stuttered in front of the man.

"W-What?"

"I said... Your hair looks nice."

"I know that! W-What's so good about it?" She turned back again. Her face looked agitated from compliments she's receiving from him and her cheeks now flushing red as soon as she gazed back into him.

"Hmm, don't know really... But I guess, it's because it looked so silky. The color suits you as well. I mean you're beautiful so it kinda added more to it." He gave a warm smile for added effect which caused her to finally blow steam out from her head, probably due to embarrassment. He didn't think it would affect her this much.

On the other hand, he did slip a bit of truth from his statement after looking at her carefully. Truth be told, she was... _attractive,_ to say the least, but he thought about not saying it after noticing the effect he had on her.

"I-I see... Well, I guess it couldn't be helped―Teh―I said no compliments! Are you making fun of me?"

"Oh, you realized." He smiled teasingly, seething out her anger at him even further comically.

"Do you want to get sliced into pieces?!" This time, Sayla let out a venomous growl. Natsu eventually realized his mistake, prompting him to raise his hands in response.

"O-Okay, I get it. I didn't mean to take it that far. Geez, you're scarier than Erza, you know."

"Who's scarier?!"

"N-Nothing. Anyways, isn't this nice?" He changed the topic as soon as he turned to his surroundings. Sayla soon followed suit since both of them are getting too engrossed in their own conversation without paying attention to them.

She looked as they found themselves in the heart of Magnolia where most of the places were decorated in Valentines' Day theme. Heartstrings and other props and decor were seen all around and the people go in pairs, buying from different stores which mostly sell exquisite chocolates. Stores and restaurants line up perfectly on all sides and along pathways, making it the perfect place to spend time.

"Hmm... It seems this place is much livelier than the ones we walked past. No wonder why many would come here at this time of the day." Natsu said as he paid close attention to the activity around them.

People come by to shop at various stores while others sat around the giant fountain erected at the center of the plaza. Given the ongoing Sakura viewing festival, it's easy how the place becomes too crowded to stay for a peaceful stroll.

Sayla turned to ask. Her face visible with caution, earning a cold sweat from the pinkette. "What's wrong with that? Is something afoot?"

"You make it look like something gonna pop up soon. I'm just saying this place looks a bit busy than the ones we walked before."

"Oh..." Sayla made her realization. "...If that's the case, we should explore."

"Hnn... He nodded. "But first, we should make some ground rules first."

"Ground rules?" Sayla tilted her head in confusion as she turned towards him.

"First, don't cause too much trouble in here, alright? I'd probably lose my neck if Erza finds out I'm the cause for all of it."

"I see... I'll keep that in mind." She nodded although her mind pondered otherwise of the said warning. If anything's in trouble, it would be her unleashing her wrath onto this Erza whatsoever for interrupting her matters with the boy.

"Second, stop referring others to humans or something like that. I have a name and you have as well so it should be like that. It would be weird for people if they hear you talking to them like that, you know."

"Tch, I guess I have to comply." Her tone doesn't seem convinced but Natsu was glad that she complied his request. Still, it doesn't stop her from clicking her tongue as an indication of her displeasure with his condition. It's better to ignore it for the sake of truce.

"And third, I'll be taking the lead so don't get ahead of me. You said you wanted me to teach you about Valentines Day, right? So it's natural that I should be in the lead before you, got it? Whatever you do is something I take responsibility for."

"Hmph, naturally... You're already mine. Who else would be taking responsibility for it?" She sagely responded all the while causing him to give her a strange look.

"Since when did I become yours?" He deadpanned, ignoring the last statement as they proceeded down the streets.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

After a few minutes of settling rules to their _date_ , the two took off course towards the farther town due to having unable to proceed further because of the Sakura viewing festival. As a result, they decided to wander off to some parts of the town where people aren't as crowded and it was not long before Natsu's belly begun creating a lot of grumbling sounds, indicating the need for food to satisfy his growing hunger after minutes of walking.

And also just in time, they finally arrived at the first destination.

"We're here!"

"What is this obnoxious place?" Sayla couldn't help but muster a confused look on her face as she had her eyes staring at the unfamiliar structure right in front of her.

"Sometimes, I don't understand the words you're saying but I guess it's something bad." He sighed. Ignoring her rant, the two moved inside as they eventually saw the interior of the restaurant itself. A couple of tables and chairs were seen situated within each column, occupied by customers which mostly go in pairs. Not to mention the decorations placed in between transparent windows to give off an atmosphere of sweetness for the couples eating inside.

Natsu and Sayla sat by at one of the vacant tables as the latter began talking once again.

"What a fine looking place. It looks like you humans don't have such bad taste in interior design."

"Well, I'm glad you liked it. Anyways, order up. You must be hungry."

What came after was a face of innocent confusion.

"I don't need it."

"H-Huh?"

"Hunger is never a problem for me. In fact, I don't get hungry at all. There's no need for any―"

"Yes, yes and my dad's an awesome dragon blah blah blah. Come on and order what you want. It's my treat, alright. So don't sweat any details."

"Why you―" She was about to make a retort when Natsu handed the menu right in front of her. His eyes stared right into his own menu which haltered her seething irritation at the moment, seeing that losing her composure might be a bad idea.

Judging from his silence, she knows that he doesn't want any argument with her.

She pursed her lips and quickly grabbed the menu from his hand with a bitter expression, feeling like she lost for some reason. She flipped through the menu as she could see different types of food which the restaurant has to offer. None of them actually caught her slightest interest.

Since she never experienced eating human food, she didn't know what to choose. Even so, she'll have to comply with the task.

After a few seconds of randomly sifting through the content, she finally got the choice she found best for the meal. At the same time, Natsu had already finished choosing his own order.

"I'll have the―uhh―slice of chocolate cake with white frosting."

"Hmm? Is that only your choice?"

"One order is fine. It's not like I wanted to taste all of them, unlike you."

It took a few minutes as the orders were placed down on their table.

"Itadakimasu!" Natsu paused for a moment before starting digging in as he quickly ran down to his food without a second thought.

Sayla simply sat across him, staring curiously at his poor eating habits which had her attention most of the time that she almost forgot about her own cake as well.

"What's wrong? Aren't you gonna eat?"

"Well, I just find your habits a bit... eccentric. Unlike from what most of the people here, you look like you're about to devour almost everything that is presented to you. I thought humans display collected manners." She mused.

"What's wrong with that? Food is essential for my body. If I eat a lot, I will be able to maintain my condition. Simple as that."

"I guess so..."

"More importantly, it seems you've finally calmed down." He changed the subject.

"What do you mean by that?" A moment of puzzled look transpired onto her face as she got lost in his statement.

"Well, you're not flinging and shouting anymore which means you've finally calmed down. I thought you would kick and scream around that I might've dragged you outside for disturbing the others but it seems like it's not the case."

Sayla caught on what he was talking about. For a second there, she noticed she was looking a bit softer than usual even though she's not on good terms with him yet. Her aversion towards people seemed to have dropped as well.

"H-Hmph, mind your own business. I still haven't acknowledged you just so you know."

"So it's your approval now? I thought you just wanted to know about Valentine's Day?" He teased.

"T-Those are two different things."

"What?" He tilted his head in confusion, vaguely hearing her last statement just now.

"Nevermind, alright?! I'll eat my own food now." Wanting to avoid any more contact with the pinkette, Sayla turned her attention back to the untouched slice of cake. She grabbed the fork beside it and sliced a small portion of it as she slowly put it into her mouth. Well, at least they're quiet now.

At that moment, her eyes blinked in surprise as soon as her tongue made contact with the foreign flavor. A sparkle lit up onto her face as touched her cheeks as if gesturing the savory taste.

 _'Delicious!'_

However, she quickly recomposed herself to avoid attention from the busy pinkette who was minding his own business across her, eating at his own pace.

She then looked back at the sensation as she first tasted human food for the first time. She never expected it to be so good. Of all the times she spent as a demon, she never took any slightest interest towards food. She always thought of it as an essential necessity for prolonging a human's lifespan. A useless need for a demon like her.

Such a useless thing would never come to pique her interest until now...

She stared at the foreign food before her in pure wonder as she couldn't make any exact words to describe the sweet tasty flavor coiling up in her taste buds. She could only watch in astonishment as if marveling at this impressive feat.

"Not bad..."

"Huh?"

Sayla unknowingly slipped out her thoughts whilst catching the dragonslayer's attention in the process. His eyes lifted for a moment towards her as he caught her wonderfully staring at the piece of chocolate cake that she ordered from the waiter.

Without a second thought, she proceeded to dig another slice.

"I guess you like cakes too, huh?"

"Really? Is that what it's called? How can it become so delicious?" Her head bobbed, catching the name of the food that caught her attention.

"Well, I guess they make it with several ingredients but I don't know what it is."

"Hnn... Hnn..." She nodded forcefully, unable to pay much attention due to her being immersed in the cake. Within just a few minutes, she already finished eating.

"That was satisfying! I want more!" An elated response came out from her face, taking him by surprise.

"Ah, o-okay..." Natsu answered as he called another waiter in the same order. He guessed the slice of cake wasn't really enough for a satisfied appetite.

Although, he didn't expect her to be able to eat more than he expected her to.

...

A few moments passed and Sayla is down on her 17th cake much to his disbelief. Even the waiter couldn't believe how such a girl was able to take on seventeen cakes continuously without risking a stomach ache. The only one who has been able to accomplish such a feat was none other than the red-haired knight since it's obvious of her love for strawberry cakes.

Natsu wondered just where all the food goes from that slim body of hers. He always suspected that women tend to have a special organ that digests all that food without risking an increase in fat or weight in the process.

 _Man, a woman's anatomy is such a mystery._

"Fuuuuuuuwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh~~ that was really tasty! I guess human food is not that bad at all!" Sayla finished, feeling satisfied with all the cake she ate. A delighted expression was seen on her face as she lightly patted her unchanged stomach after all that gobble.

"Glad you like it. Kinda left a huge hole in my pocket though." Natsu deadpanned before releasing a sigh. A small tear sparkled at the corner of his right eye as he turned his head away before internally grieving inside in contrast to the girl' proud smile which seemed to have ticked him for some reason. He'll have to earn more jewels once he got back on the job.

"That shouldn't be a problem for you now, wouldn't it? You said you would take responsibility. So you should stick to it until the end of the day."

"Yes, yes. Wouldn't want to look pathetic in front of a pretty girl now, would I?" He smiled at her, catching her off guard as she heard his statement. Her cheeks flushed red once again as she immediately shifted her eyes away from him to hide her embarrassment.

"T-That was just a reminder! I didn't mean to praise you or anything like that, alright?!"

―And there goes her strong composure.

Seriously, why does she always lose her composure whenever he smiles at her like that? At this point, she didn't know what kind of feeling she was experiencing right now. It's very unlike her. She couldn't feel any animosity like she used to have whenever she encountered humans anymore―moreover, towards him.

She still had some stinging remarks but it wasn't anything hostile like from what she usually expresses when she feels disgusted.

Right now, all she felt doing is just having fun.

Fun... She never experienced such a thing. To her nature, the term fun would describe her enjoying the suffering of humans under her feet. It's been like that ever since she joined Tartaros. Everything else was irrelevant and uninteresting to her until this day.

"Ah, is that so? I guess that's too bad then..." Natsu shook his head which somehow caused her to feel a bit depressed all of a sudden. Did she push it too far? She didn't actually mean it like that. In truth, she felt happy when he said something about her. If she were to compare him to Kyoka, she would've preferred him over hers.

However, she didn't notice that thought as she stared at him mildly scratching his head. It was only then she perked up as soon as she heard him change the topic. "So what brings you here in Magnolia? I haven't really asked about where you're from."

Sayla slightly tensed at that question. It would be bad if she were to be found out. No one in this town actually knows who she really is. Let alone her true nature. "I-I came just from another town. I came to visit this place since it's interesting."

"I see..." He said so with a small nod. "Are you planning to go sightseeing by the way?"

"Sight...seeing?"

"Yeah! Most people do it during Valentine's Day so I guess it's part of the occasion."

"I don't really know about it."

"Seriously?" He let out a gasp of surprise, mildly slamming his hands on the table before clearing his throat. "...Well, it's basically just roaming around town and have a good time."

"Is that so?" A hint of interest appeared on the girl's expression as her attention returned back to him.

"Yup, though it's just a bit different since we're going to be visiting some beautiful places around town. From what I know, there are only two landmarks around here so don't expect much." He prompted but the demon girl had already developed a glint of curiosity, seeing her eyes sparkle right in front of him.

"Let's go see it!"

"E-Eh? Right now?"

"Of course!"

Natsu stared at the girl's eyes for a brief moment, noticing the eagerness to walk around together around town. It looks like she's softened up a bit but―

"O-Oi! What are you doing?!" He was startled as soon as he felt his hand suddenly grabbed by hers as they scrambled out from their seats and begun pulling straight to the door.

"Let's go! I wanna experience it!" She said so with a smile. Natsu figured what she meant as he was continuously dragged along without much of a word. He proceeded to slip out the payment from his pocket and left it on the table just before they exited. A few heads turned towards them from the small scene as the two went outside.

After a few seconds, they were finally out of the store.

"Hey wait!" Natsu called out as they continued to walk back to the crowd once more.

"What is it?"

"Just why do you want to go sightseeing all of a sudden?"

"Why? Is something wrong with that?"

"Well, it's not that it's wrong but―"

He was cut short as the jubilant voice of the girl overwhelmed his statement while staring at a particular direction. His eyes followed as well which didn't take a while before a familiar sickness started welling up from his stomach.

Oh, gods... Why did it have to catch her attention?

As they were moving aimlessly around, Sayla managed to spot a theme park from the distance. Of all the places he wanted to be, a theme park is a no-go for him. At the very top was the track where those _abominations_ move around, sending thrills to those ride upon it.

For him, it's a grueling pain of constantly throwing up and a lifetime trauma.

He'd be well off to a beating with Erza rather than ride onto one of those things but that isn't the matter right now as soon as he heard her voice exclaim in excitement.

"Look! I want to see one of those!"

"E-Eh? No! No! No! And NO! Anything but that!"

Sayla tilted her head in confusion at the sudden denial. She looked at his face full of fear for some reason which was highly unlike of him after meeting with each other.

"Huh? Why not?"

"T-Transportation... I'm not good with those."

There was a short pause from her as she tried processing his statement. Did she hear it right? That he is scared of transportation.

She affirmed it by looking at his face once again now contorted with nausea and dizziness, feeling like he caught a sick cold in the process. She slightly laughed at the thought of him catching sickness. That would've been funny since the concept of sickness and death are already well beyond her.

Though it does look a bit true enough, seeing him not being able to reply as quick as usual towards her. Even poking a little finger wouldn't do much reaction.

Sayla couldn't help but break into a laugh.

"H-HEY! Picture yourself in the same situation as me, dammit! People just don't understand!" As if to respond to her tease, Natsu shouted out in protest. His face bore a mix of irritation and physical pain.

However, as what her instincts as a demon had told her, a devilish smirk appeared on Sayla's lips as she thought of a way to get back at him.

Though it may not look like it, she already caught him doing the same thing a while back with the whole hair complimenting thing. This should give her some sweet revenge that she heard from human culture... or whatever it is.

Glancing over at him, she made an innocent smile on her face as she suddenly pulled his arms close and began heading straight to the theme park.

"Come on! It's not like you're gonna throw up or anything. Don't tell me you're backing out from just a single inanimate object?"

"Actually, I would throw up. So no thanks."

"Just one ride... please~"

"Kugh―" Natsu felt stricken, feeling through the teasing tone of her voice. But then again, nothing's gonna stop him from not dragging himself any further to experience his motion sickness even if it takes his whole life to do so.

"S-Sorry but I don't want to go in that place really. You can just go by yourself. I can just wait on the outside."

"Pfft... What kind of gentleman would leave his partner just because of a silly excuse? Don't forget we're on a date, you and me. And it's very unmanly for someone like you to back out too."

Ugh... A reasonable response. Nothing he can do to respond back because he was caught on the spot.

On the side note, a certain mage sneezed from a faraway place as soon as soon as someone uttered something about being manly.

"I didn't know this was a date in the first place. Does that mean we're going out?"

"T-That was―I mean... It wasn't at that time but I guess you called it like that." Sayla trailed her words at the end of her statement as a tinge of pink appeared on her cheeks.

"Huh, so you do really think it like that."

Natsu pondered in mild surprise in which the girl found the time to recompose herself and continued pulling him close to her.

"Come on! Just one ride then it'll be your turn wherever we go from now on! Just one please!"

This time, she begged much to the pinkette's hesitation but after a few moments, he reluctantly agreed with his head hung low, possibly in defeat since he was doomed to ride one of those eventually.

On the other hand, Sayla smiled in glee as she jumped in mid-air like a child getting his toy for the first time.

Natsu observed her for a moment before releasing a sigh.

He just couldn't deny that kind of expression from her although unaware of the fact that this was a way for the demon girl to take revenge.

...

The two arrived at the theme park and the place was already crowding with a lot of people due to the occasion. Sayla was already pacing ahead, as usual, marveling at the place she hasn't seen in her life after centuries of holing up in the cube. She looked around and saw multiple stalls and other things that offer entertainment as well as prizes on some which were the main attraction of the park itself along with the rides.

Natsu, on the other hand, walked from behind with knees shaking, probably due to the sight of moving rollercoaster cars from the distance.

"Aha, that looks cool!" Sayla shouted from the distance, pointing at the moving cars around the railings.

Natsu gulped nervously as the motion sickness kicked in. Seeing it in closer view now makes him even sicker. Not much to say as well to the other who seems to be enjoying herself at the moment.

"Y-Yeah... It does look... kinda cool."

"Come on, I wanna go ride one!"

Natsu inwardly groaned as soon as he expected her answer. It looks like he'll have to ditch this one out.

"A-Actually, I have something to do. How about we meet up later once you're done? Right, I'll see ya in a minute―"

A single snap is all it takes as Natsu suddenly lost control of his body, making a gasp of surprise as he stared down at his own body unable to move. It took only a few moments as his eyes suddenly darted back to her.

"No can do... There's no fun in enjoying this ride alone, you know." She flicked her finger in which his body was pulled towards her much to his shock, realizing her to be the reason behind it.

"W-What did you―" He tried to speak but was cut off short as Sayla placed a finger on his lips, effectively stopping him from speaking as well as earning a slight blush on his cheeks from the intimate exchange.

"You and I are on a date so don't go wandering off without me knowing, okay? It is rude for a man to leave his woman, you know?" She cutely smiled with a hint of evil in her eyes as Natsu felt like he was recalling a similar experience. He sweated nervously at the deathly smile on her face which was the cause of the deprivation of all authority in his own body.

The shocking surprise, however, was not that he realized she was a mage but because she had such a personality that made it seem like messing with her is not a good idea.

"Hey, I thought you didn't know about Valentines?!"

"I'm taking observations. It's not like I would stand here, not learning anything by looking." She answered with a reasonable excuse however, the pinkette had other pressing matters at his current situation right now as soon as he felt his body move again.

"Let's get going, Natsu~~"

His thoughts were cut short as the demon girl dragged him towards the rollercoaster, inevitably leading him to shout out his cry of despair towards the world.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

 **...**

* * *

"I-I thought I was gonna die!"

Natsu crawled lifeless along the sidewalk as soon as the ride ended. He's not sure if taking another would be alright for his health. Sayla walked by right beside him, seemingly worried after _finally_ noticing the condition he had been after that ride. It looks like he wasn't really kidding about it. All the more her reason for getting back at him didn't produce that kind of result she was expecting.

"Really... If you would've told me it was this bad, I would've said no." She crossed her arms with a scolding approach, hoping to smooth his composure.

"How come using magic on me and dragging me all the way to the ride with a smile like that convince you anyway?!" He shouted comically, much to Sayla's chagrin.

"I-Is that so? W-Well, it isn't that bad now, right?"

She tried to appease him but all she got was a look of suspicion and scorn. After a few seconds, Natsu sighed.

"Well, whatever..." He brushed off the topic with a gesture as he tried to straighten himself out. "Let's... take a rest for a bit."

Sayla stared at him for a moment before nodding in agreement, moving closer to him as she slumped one his arms over her shoulder much to his surprise.

"Come on, I'll help." She answered without complaint which only caused him to reply in a stutter.

"S-Sure." He mumbled, keeping his confusion inside.

They make their way over to a bench as Natsu settled himself to regain his composure. The effects of his sickness are still there so he'll have to take a few more minutes until then. Sayla sat beside him, weirdly quiet throughout the period as she waited for him to recover.

An awkward silence assailed in the air as neither of the two had any words to speak at the moment. It was until a few minutes before Sayla spoke first.

"So how's the sickness?" Her question slightly puts him off course but eventually recomposed himself.

"I-It's fine. I'm already doing okay. Thanks for worrying." He smiled in reassurance which somehow made her a bit relieved in the process.

"I see. I'm glad." Sayla mumbled.

Another silence reigned as the two ran out of words to say anything, ultimately leading the girl to ponder out loud.

"So what now?"

"What?"

"I did you a favor so it's natural that it would be you who would decide where we go next. Remember what we said back awhile ago?" She recalled, causing him to recall as well.

"Well, if that's what you want, let me think for a second." Natsu finally recovered, placed a finger on his chin as he pondered the next course of action. At the corner of his vision, he could notice the eager expression Sayla had as she fidgeted from her seat, stealing glances at him as if waiting what they should do next.

 _Is she really looking forward to it that much?_

He released another sigh. "Well for starters, why don't we take some pictures?"

As expected from the oblivious demon, Sayla could only tilt her head in confusion.

"Pictures?"

"Yeah, it's some sort of remembrance for this day. People like to take pictures with their special someone so it shouldn't come as a surprise if we take a picture together." He explained as a matter of fact.

Sayla paused for a moment to think until she bobbed her head towards him. "Okay, let's do it."

Answering a nod of his own, Natsu stood up and offered his hand. "All right, let's go, Sayla."

A shock underwent her face as she momentarily stared at the hand being offered unto her before looking straight towards the pinkette in wonder. Another grown blush appeared on her cheeks as she could feel the same sensation coming from her chest every time she stumbled unto this kind of situation with him. The warmth she had felt ever since spending time with him on this day grows ever strong.

Sayla still couldn't comprehend the reason behind such a feeling but she knew too well to not let go of this moment and took hold of his hand as they started their way to the nearest photo booth.

Nevertheless, she couldn't say that it was bad but rather, she liked it, in a way that she wanted to cherish the time she had with him at this very moment. Even the thought of being a demon was overwritten with the joy of being in this kind of place alongside with the ones she once called worthless beings.

That was something she realized to this day.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

It was already sunset.

The festivities continued on as the sun filled the skies in scarlet hue. Fleeting clouds blew overhead with gentle winds swaying past every now and then, blowing the fallen leaves from their trees.

While the day seemed to loomed close to nightfall, people still walked around alongside with their partners and the occasion was still bustling on as ever.

Natsu and Sayla trudged slowly in the familiar streets, carrying on with their conversations after a full-time fun together. After settling their photos together, the two had walked to other destinations to explore. Of course, the two would bicker from time to time but it wasn't as unpleasant from their first meeting.

Apparently, they just finished exploring the South Gate Park and the two are just about to return to the main street leading back to the guild.

"So how'd it go? Like the place?" Natsu spoke with a smile as lightly nudged the girl beside him teasingly.

"Well, it's not that grandiose as I would think but... I guess it had a beauty of its own." Sayla pointed out.

"Pffft... As if I would believe that. You were practically enjoying yourself lying in the grass at the cherry tree, you know."

"T-That was... You were watching?!" Sayla stuttered embarrassingly.

"You'd think I wouldn't take my eyes off you just because I bought some cotton candy that time." He proudly answered.

"K-Kh... I let my guard down." She let out a cute pout in response before changing the topic. "Even so, I never thought Valentines Day would hold many interesting things."

"Well, it's an occasion after all," Natsu said as a matter of fact.

"Hnn..." She nodded. "I can understand why humans enjoy these types of events."

It's becoming clear to her why humans show signs of strong affections with each other, seeing how emotions can play a part in each of everyone who experiences it. For a long time, there was nothing to study about them but it seems like she was gravely mistaken. Even someone like her could even experience something like this and she didn't mind it at all despite being different from them.

"There with the human calling again, huh? You do have a bad habit of referring people like that, you know." She heard him talk as the pinkette gazed at her with a reprimanding look.

"It's nothing like that... it's just envious of them having all these kinds of experiences."

"You make it sound like you're not human... Aren't you one of us?"

At that moment, Sayla could only mull unto herself as she watched him took a few steps ahead of her. She took the time to ponder the words she heard from him a few seconds back.

"One of us, huh..." She chuckled inwardly, almost seemed like a joke to her knowing what she truly is from the inside. Nevertheless, it came as a surprise to her that Natsu even called her as such. She didn't bother having been called like that. In fact, she felt really grateful for it.

As she was thinking deeply, her attention snapped back, noticing the pinkette's figure stopping in front of her.

"What's wrong?" Sayla peered at his side, curious about his sudden stop. It didn't take a few seconds for her mind to register what was happening as her eyes immediately caught sight of the area in front of them.

A small park was seen before them together with a group of couples, seating in their benches and enjoying each other's company. They all sat with each other, taking their time together as they watched the sunset before them. Apparently, they found themselves in a _couple's nest_ as some might say.

The park lay on the outskirts of Magnolia near the mountains, giving a perfect place to observe both the town and the sunset in the distance.

What made the two of them stop, however, was not the sweet atmosphere alone. The scene of other couples kissing was what caused them to stop dead in their tracks. Natsu had his cheeks flushed red despite how oblivious he was to this before. He didn't know but it feels like he was conscious at the sight of two people being too affectionate with each other.

Even Sayla seemed uneasy as well, noticing the blush coursing through her cheeks as well.

"U-Umm... Why don't we go somewhere else." The pinkette didn't want to stay awkward on the spot as he proceeded to grab her hand. However, he stopped after noticing Sayla holding him back.

A huge blush occupied her face as she looked to the side, timidly fidgeting her whole body as if she was trying to say something.

After a few seconds, her lips opened.

"I-It's fine right here. I... also wanted to watch the sunset."

Looking like one of those large mouthed masks, Natsu couldn't help but jawdrop in response.

"S-Sure... okay."

The two silently walked to a near-vacant bench, facing the sunset. Both Natsu and Sayla sat quite a few meters from each other. An awkward atmosphere assailed between them while being surrounded by other couples having a rather sweet time with each other.

Compared to them, they're nothing like warmhearted with each other.

Natsu wanted to speak for himself just to break the choking atmosphere he was having right now. Even the girl was silent from the other end of the bench, seemingly embarrassed as well.

It was only then, her voice broke the silence between them.

"Hey..." She started off. "I heard that in Valentines Day, people do this kind of thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Like kissing or some sort." She said.

"Well, I guess... I don't have that anyone close to me so I can't really show what it is though." Natsu replied; a slight look of regret filled his expression. A short pause went in between them as Sayla stared at the sunset for a while before turning back on him.

"Wanna try it with me?"

Her question almost threw the pinkette as the shade of embarrassment returned back to him in full swing. "W-W-What are you talking about? D-Do you even know what kissing means?"

Sayla nodded. "I know but... there isn't anyone I wouldn't mind doing it other than you. Also, isn't this part of this occasion?"

A steel of resolve was noticeable on her face as she gazed at him with sincerity. There was no lie nor embarrassment on her. Natsu saw through that but... even so, he couldn't bring himself doing it, fearing that it might backfire on both of them. After all, this is a sensitive thing for most people. However, he couldn't deny her plea just like that as it showed her determination to see it through.

His heart raced, knowing that she was there waiting for him.

The setting around them was practically begging them to do the same. How could he even avoid the impending result? Maybe she planned it from the start? He didn't know...

Silence ensued once more with Natsu pursing his lips with an indication of hesitation from his movements. Without anything to say back at her, he could only relent in the process.

He moved closer, closing the gap between them moments before as he stared at her eyes dubiously. Still, a steeled resolve soon took over him, wanting to respect her request. His body slowly leaned which prompted Sayla to close her eyes as his face drew near to hers. Her chest felt the warmth and the pacing of her heartbeat grew loud in her.

This was it.

If this was the answer to her feelings, then she would finally understand it all.

She felt her body slightly tremble at the unexpected fluttering feeling in her heart. She gripped her hands tight onto her chest as she felt a soft peck on her forehead. It was a simple gesture yet it made her heart finally realize.

The feeling of love.

A few seconds after, his lips withdrew and his figure returned back to its previous position. A visible blush was seen throughout his face as he smiled at him.

"It's still early... But this will do." He said, taking consideration of her feelings back then when she was trembling in front of him. It seems he took it as a sign of hesitation from her for experiencing it all together in such a short time. He understood that love shouldn't be taken too fast and he wouldn't mind taking it slow and steady together with her from now on.

Sayla blushed but merely gave a slight nod as they watched the sunset together.

A thought rushed through her mind, thinking that it would've been fine for this moment to last forever.

Just a place for both of them, enjoying each other in this beautiful scenery.

Yeah... if only it could be that way.

However, she knew all to well that all things must come to an end.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

The day slowly begins to enter nightfall as the sun continued to descend on the far Western Mountains. Residents and other townsfolk had begun returning back to their homes. Large shadows peered over to the horizon as the last remaining light slowly becomes obscured by the landscape at the distance.

The reverberating streets of the town have vanished and the celebration has finally concluded with the result of everyone on Magnolia having a good time with their loved ones.

Well... most of them.

Natsu and Sayla walked along the pavement, taking their time strolling beside each other. The whole day was fun, to say the least. Both of them didn't seem to mind each other's presence as opposed to what they used to have during their first meeting. They guessed it's probably the date that they were able to become close in such a short time.

The latter had a crepe on her hand as she joyfully ate away in peace while the former simply walked beside her with his hands tucked on his trousers. They did almost everything what a date is supposed to be and Natsu couldn't believe just how he was knowledgeable about it.

He'll have to thank Lucy for that tomorrow.

"You sure do eat a lot." He said, earning a pouted response from the girl much to his chuckle. Who would've thought that she would eventually turn out to be such a pampered girl? The level of hostility they had with each other was no longer there as if it didn't even exist in the first place.

"Muo~~ You're the one who introduced me to this. I never thought it would be as good as a cake though." She replied which added further to his fit of laughter as he suddenly leaned close and grabbed a bite much to her horror.

"HEY!"

"Was getting hungry anyways. Wouldn't hurt a bite or two, wouldn't you?" He teased but it was obvious that she was not pleased having her food shared by anyone.

What a glutton.

"Well, I guess it's fine either way. But you'll have to buy me another two since you took quite a portion of it."

"The stalls are closed. It'll be impossible to buy at this time."

"Well, go figure something out. Otherwise, I will not forgive you for stealing my crepe."

"Oi oi. Since when did taking a bite would come as stealing?"

As he was saying that, Sayla merely mustered a teasing smile. "Just kidding~~"

At the same time, the pinkette noticed the growing blush on her cheeks but it seemed like she wasn't afraid to hide it as if she was fine with it. This isn't the first time he'd actually saw her being this soft and sweet.

Apparently, she would talk to him as if they had known each other. He was surprised to see how close they were despite having to meet in such a short time. It seemed like they both got along together pretty well and the occasion made that even fulfilling for both of them.

"R-Right..." He paused. "So how's the date for you?"

He asked curiously which is something he wanted to know from her ever since coming to this place. The sunset before them entailed a sign that the day was coming to an end and that their date would also end.

Sayla stopped for a moment, her face shadowed by her hair locks. It took only a few moments before lifting her head towards him.

"It was fun. I really enjoyed it."

A simple statement. Nothing out of the ordinary which was something the pinkette couldn't understand seeing how she described their date.

I'm sure there's more than that.

That's what he thought about after all that fun they had together.

"Eh, is that all? I was hoping a longer feedback from you. Is our date really that boring?" He pondered but it was only then, Sayla raised her voice.

"N-No, it was nothing like that! It's just that... I couldn't find the right words to say even though there are many things that I experienced throughout the day." She muttered.

"I see..." A small awkward pause came until Natsu continued. "Well, for starters, you should try asking your heart about it."

A question that made her tilt her head in confusion. "My... heart?"

"Yeah. You know... the thing at your chest where you felt those feelings. It's not that really hard now, is it?" He pointed out with a very little ounce of perversion after noticing how big her breasts were. He felt a tinge of embarrassment, resulting in him briefly redirecting his gaze away for a moment while waiting for her answer.

On the other hand, Sayla pondered for a long while, placing her free hand onto her chest where the pinkette had pointed out. The concept of the heart was a very vague topic even for someone like her. For an Etherious, a heart is something that is non-existent. At least, for them. But after a day of spending time alone with him slowly made her realize what a heart is―what it is meant for humans.

"These feelings..." She whispered. The sensation was never gone. Up until now, she still felt how her chest would sometimes beat fast whenever she walks alongside with him.

She heard that Valentine's Day was also a day of spreading the love for someone they cared. It was an occasion of people would express their feelings towards their loved one whether it be romantic or familial.

It wasn't just always limited to humans alone. Sayla knew that after proving what has happened to her throughout their date.

"Natsu."

"Yeah?"

"If I tell you that the feelings in my heart are something that came out of love, what would you feel?" She asked.

"What... would... I... feel...? I-I don't actually quite follow you there." He answered. His head tilted in confusion.

"They say Valentine's Day is something that people celebrate by sharing their love with each other. Up until now, I didn't know all about it because I never really experienced it but..." She paused. "...but after meeting you, I've discovered a lot of things that are new to me. Even when we decided to take a date, I slowly realized it."

Natsu kept silent throughout the talk. His face donning the same kind of flustered look from the girl beside him, as if he can deduce what she was trying to say.

"...The feelings I have right now. It all came because I met you, Natsu."

It was a subtle way of expressing it but the next statement came all clear to him "...Would you be happy if I tell you that I said... I-I love you?"

It was a blunt confession right through the end. Natsu could see the immense blush Sayla had on her cheeks as she said those words despite the light of the sunset bathing them. Nevertheless, the statement got him thinking for a second.

"Well... if you'd want me to be honest, I guess... I-I didn't expect it... really."

"I-Is that so? Is it that surprising?" She stuttered, thinking back to the words she said that made him surprised. After all, it was also weird that you would confess to that person on the same day you met him.

She guessed that it was too much for him to sink in.

"T-Then again, I would be lying if I didn't say I was happy about it."

...

"Eh?"

A sudden interruption caused her thoughts to stop as she stared at the pinkette who was turning his gaze away from her for some reason although she pretty much guessed why.

"Honestly, when I first met you, I didn't like you. You looked bossy and all though I guess I was wrong. And hearing what you said about me just now made me just wanna say what I think about this date as well." He said so with confidence.

"I can pretty guess what you're about to say." She smiled.

"Oh, you're not gonna let me?"

"I didn't say I didn't want to but..."

"But?" He asked at the sudden pause. There was a slow change in her expression as she stared at the sunset. A sense of nostalgia coursed through her as if she was reminiscing about the times she had with him.

Natsu didn't understand but for some reason, he could feel sadness dripping from that soft smile of hers as she continued to look at the setting sun. After a few moments, she looked back at him. "Ne, Natsu... will you say it to me? I want to hear it just one time from you."

Her face made another sweet smile in which he noticed as he cleared his throat. Standing in front of her, he gained as much composure as he needed as he made a deep breath before saying the next words from his mouth.

"Sayla... I love you."

Flood of emotions rushed out of both their hearts. Sayla shook her head, her face shadowed with a tinge of pink covering both her cheeks as she heard his confession.

A very fitting straightforward confession from him, she would say.

At the very end, she felt extremely happy with those words alone. No matter what comes afterward, she would care less about it. No matter how the world defies it, she would always remember it from her heart for eternity.

A long silence assailed the air as the wind breeze brushed past their figures while at the same time, she had lifted her head towards him with eyes fresh with tears as she expressed her happiness to the man she fell in love with on that fateful day.

"Thank you, Natsu!"

And that was the last time Natsu had heard from her.

* * *

 **Tartaros Headquarters, Plutogrim**

* * *

It was already night. The halls of the guild were much darker compared to the time it was still daytime. Large capsules fill the room with purplish light as unfortunate humans were continued to be tested inside. Kyoka noticed a slight change from one of the recently captured specimens and saw a diminishing resistance from the demonization it had been tested into.

"I see... So she was successful..." A smile turned into an evil smirk as she gazed at her latest subject which was slowly being devoured by demon cells.

The sound of a door opening caught her attention as she spotted the black-haired demon girl, seemingly standing by, waiting for her to report her findings on her mission.

"Ah, good. Just the person I wanted to see. I assume you were able to dismantle the source of the problem."

Sayla offered no response as soon as she approached the fellow Etherious with a rather solemn look on her face. Kyoka, unfortunately, managed to notice it as she bore a suspicious look towards the girl in response.

"I suspect that something happened along the way but I hope it is not something that would hinder our plans in the next few months." She warned, hoping to fully make her aware of the consequences if she somehow managed to butcher their plans in the future.

"I-It was nothing like that, Kyoka-sama! There were... just some minor miscalculations."

"Minor miscalculations?"

"I-It's nothing! I'll give you the full report tomorrow morning. I just need a rest."

Funny how Kyoka noticed that Sayla was acting a bit emotional compared to what she usually does in front of her. Maybe the prospect of being exposed to the human world somehow affected her but she assumed that it was nothing short of a hindrance to their plans so she overlooked her behavior this once.

"I see... I guess your stay in the human world was rather sickening. Very well, I'll see your report tomorrow morning. Have a good rest, you've earned it. We'll need you to be in full shape once our attack on the humans begins in a few months."

"As you wish, Kyoka-sama."

Sayla bowed before turning herself towards the door and returned back to her room.

Down the hallway, Jackal leaned casually on the side of the wall, catching the demon girl's attention as Sayla silently went past him without much of a word.

"Oddly quiet, aren't you? I thought I would receive a pain treatment if I said something bad about Kyoka."

"Leave me alone, Jackal." Her tone caught him off guard, seeing it as dull from what she used to say against him when they happen to bicker at one another.

Jackal wanted to react at the unusual response but was stopped as his eyes were caught wide open at the tears drifting from her hidden eyes, leaving him dumbfounded as she closed the door leading to her room.

...

Sayla flopped herself onto her own bed as she felt her own body fully exhausted of today's mission. She never really thought that it would drain her this much, not just physically but also mentally.

A lot of things happened in the course of her mission and it left her wondering with a lot of questions.

Shifting her head to the side, she quickly recalled the memories that transpired a few hours before.

Knowing how things would end between them, she already knew that it was already impossible from the start. For a demon and a human to love each other. She knew that very well yet she insisted to act upon herself to see its very end.

 _Natsu..._

The mention of his name flooded her mind with a lot of memories―memories that returned all her feelings back to her heart in which she had closed off after what happened. It looks like even she could not hold back the emotions being felt in her chest. Such as how an emotionless being can't stay sane without feeling anything.

The aching feeling that she felt ever since cutting herself from his memories has been lingering for quite a while now. It doesn't look like to fade away anytime soon.

 _What is this pain I'm feeling? Even though I don't have any injuries, why is my chest feels so painful?_

She thought out as she slowly gripped her chest, hoping to soothe away the pain she was feeling. She slowly sat on her bed. Her eyes stared at open space as the silence comforted her.

And then, her mouth opened.

"Ne, I finally did it, right... I finished my mission without any loose ends... It was a perfectly executed mission... I'm sure Kyoka-sama would be pleased... S-So why..."

Tears soon flooded her eyes as she couldn't stop her emotions rushing out from her chest.

"W-Why do I feel so... miserable..." She cried as her sobs filled the room. She didn't know why she started breaking down all of a sudden. It wasn't like her at all so why.

Sayla couldn't even wipe away the tears as they now started to drip down from her cheeks in the process. It was a painful feeling that she just couldn't put away after all that's happened. She wanted to hide it but the feeling was too much to put away inside her heart.

There was no one around her. Not even the closest person around her could hear her cries. This was the first time she ever felt something like this. Her memories returned to that moment together with him.

"N-Natsu... Natsu... N-Natsu... " She kept calling his name but there was no one there. It felt like her heart was about to break with each passing second. "I want to see you... So please... don't leave me..."

She muttered but she knew that it wasn't going to be answered. How could he? He was far away from where she is now.

Even so, she wanted to say it. She wanted him here beside her once more. She wanted to meet him again just like that day. However, her wishes would not come to her. Their worlds differ from each other. It is impossible for a demon to love.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

Natsu woke up as he found himself lying on a wooden bench just over the hills at the edge of town. The night was already up and he had no clue of what's happened during his time throughout the day.

"H-Huh? W-What am I doing here?" He muttered to himself as seeing that he was completely alone. All the other people had gone back to their homes at this time of night.

His eyes looked around, searching something that would give him clues of his amnesia.

I'm pretty sure he didn't hit his head or something that made him forget what he did this morning. The thought of losing your memories this long was kinda frightening even for someone like him who's a blockhead for remembering things.

"Ugh..." He touched his head as he felt pain for some reason. Surely this might be just one of the times he had been thumped hard by Erza.

Damn... Now, what did he do to get on her bad side?

He was about to stand up and return back when he felt something in his pocket. He looked to his side and took it out, revealing a small picture.

 _Hmm? What's this? I don't remember being it here in me._

He looked at the picture closely as the lighting of the place around him was pretty dim. After a few seconds, he could see what the picture was. There stood two figures with smiles on their faces. Natsu narrowed his eyes carefully and eventually saw the figure on the left was him.

"Huh? Is this... me?!" He muttered in slight surprise but then his eyes looked at the other figure beside him which was completely unfamiliar to him.

 _'Who's this?'_

It was a woman. A fair and lean woman with dark purple hair. The same smile was written on her face just like him as they seem to be having a good time with each other.

Natsu didn't know about this. Since when did he start spending time with a woman he didn't know in the first place. Maybe this was part of the memories that he couldn't remember during the day.

It must be.

But still, even though he deduced the woman to be someone he didn't know, there was a slight feeling in him that is somehow saying that he knew her. He couldn't explain it but for some reason, he had known her despite how fuzzy his memories were.

He decided to take some time to think about it as he momentarily stared at the photo.

"..."

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

"Ah, it's no use! I can't remember at all! Although, she does look familiar." He spoke. "Say, she must someone that lives around here. I'll just have to find out tomorrow, I guess."

He looked into the photo once more. He pondered for a while as his thoughts soon stopped.

Say, huh...

After a few seconds, his mind froze. As if his broken memories are slowly coming to him. Natsu went unmoving for another few seconds as he held on to the photo in his hands in front of him.

"Say...la"

"...Say...la..."

"...Sayla."

...

 _'Natsu.'_

A flash from his mind appeared before him, hearing her voice before fading. An uncomfortable silence went soon afterward before followed by a sudden jolt from the dragonslayer's body.

Sayla!

And just then, his memories flashed right back to his mind like a waterfall. How could he forget her?

Clenching his fist on the picture, he tucked it down back into his pocket as he immediately made for a sprint back to Magnolia. He gritted his teeth as he desperately tries to make his way to the entrance, leading to the outskirts.

He didn't understand but he had to find her.

 _Stupid! You idiot! Why?! Why did you do that?!_

He couldn't process what was going through his head after seeing those tears in her eyes. Just why did she do that to him? Even after all they've experienced in this day. Why did she have to throw it away?

Natsu clicked his tongue in anger as he made his way to the gates, seeing it open as always. He looked around but saw no one.

She has to be here.

He took off again. This time, he was heading for the guild. I'm sure Mira should know where she'd gone off to or maybe someone from the town who happen to see her by chance. He had no leads but it's the only thing he had right now in finding her.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

It didn't take a few seconds as he finally approached the guild doors in front of him. It seems most of his friends had already returned back to their homes, including Happy. The door seemed unlocked for some reason however, that wasn't on his mind right now.

He took a few seconds before pushing the doors open.

And then, a flash of light blinded him for a moment.

"HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!" A collective shout from the inside entered his ears as Natsu saw his friends greeting him for the occasion.

"W-W-What?" Natsu could only hold himself a dumbfounded look as he saw his teammates approaching him.

"Where were you? We were looking for you! We had to set up this surprise party just for you!"

"That's right! We wouldn't want to leave out our best guildmate for this best party!"

"Erza... Lucy... How―"

"It was Mira's suggestion. She had this planned out since yesterday so we kinda went with it too." Lucy made an affectionate smile.

After that, more and more people started approaching him as the rest of the guild went and expressed their greetings towards the fire dragonslayer. Lucy and Erza soon handed out a piece of chocolate from their pockets and gave it to him.

"Here... I know it's late but I put a lot of effort into it." Erza muttered, a slight blush forming on her cheeks as she said it.

Moments later, Gray and Wendy handed their chocolates as well to him. Both of which are handmade according to the others from the background.

"Y-Yo! Better eat up since I don't want my rival looking horrible in the next fight."

"H-Happy Valentines Day, Natsu-san!"

"Natsu~~~~~~~~~!" A familiar voice came from outside the crowd as people looked afar as saw Happy flying towards him. The group made way as the Exceed crashed himself to the dragonslayer in joy.

On the other hand, the pinkette was still shocked at the current events.

"Happy?"

"Sorry for leaving you awhile ago. I had to stay quiet about the secret so..."

"No, it's fine... It's nothing to be worried about." Natsu reassured as the Exceed finally let go of his hold and flew right next to him.

The dragonslayer looked around as the place decorated with lots of food and other things needed to throw a party. He never thought that the guild was just lying in wait to surprise him. There was a mix of confusion and joy in his heart as he saw his friends throwing a party just for him. For a moment, he felt happy by their actions but then again, he realized that something far more important was lost from him.

"What's wrong, Natsu?"

"E-Eh?" He stuttered as soon as Lucy called him. A few moments later, he realized that he was already crying, not out of joy but of sadness.

The whole guild erupted as soon as they noticed the pinkette shedding tears. This was the first time they'd actually saw him crying this much. Even the dragonslayer was shocked by the tears in his eyes.

"Are you... crying?" Erza asked worriedly but Natsu tried his best to wipe his tears away to reassure her.

"No, this is just... I-I'm not..."

The party went on carrying the celebration of Valentines Day. The guild's festivities never ended until morning. And while it brought them a lot of happiness, none of them were able to find out the truth behind his tears.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

It was the month of the fall. Autumn is at the corner of the season and the town of Magnolia still continued with their lives daily.

It's been a couple of months since then.

Natsu walked out from his bed and prepared all his things for the journey. While morning had risen up, the fall season had continued to see its change in the trees as winter comes close. Even he could feel the cold winter approaching in the next few months.

He set his gear ready as he hoisted his back over his shoulder and went straight to the door.

"Come on! Let's go Natsu! We have a job to do." Happy called out from the outside.

"Sure thing..." He answered back as he was about to make his way outside before forgetting something. "Err, one second. I forgot something."

He quickly went back to his house as he made his way straight to a shelf. It was riddled with lots of other things, all of which are placed in such a mess. However, only one thing had stood out in all of them. At the upper right corner was a small portrait wherein a wrinkled piece of a photo was inserted inside it.

Natsu took the portrait out and stared at the picture for a moment.

A brief feeling rushed through him, thinking those precious little moments he had with the girl he fell in love into. Months after that fateful day had left him dedicated to searching for her. Even until now, he still holds to that persistence.

A soft smile traced his lips as he placed it inside his bag before making his way outside.

He wanted to find her. He wanted to meet her again soon. And tell her again over and over about the feelings he had that day.

It may not be today or tomorrow but I'm sure that they'll meet again. And this time, he will never let go of her again.

"Wait for me, Sayla."

Today might just be the day he'll meet her once again.

* * *

 **A/N: And there you have it. How'd you like the last chapter? I know this is long overdue but it's better than scrapping it in the folder and not posting it. As I said, I won't be turning this into a story since I wanted to stick to its original format as a two-shot but that doesn't mean that someone could write a continuation of it. If you're up for it, you can inspire to write a follow-up story as if like a sequel. I'd like this story to remain bittersweet but others might think otherwise.**

 **Once again, thank you for reading the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Look forward to my other stories in the future and see you there.**

 **\- The wiErDos send their regards...**


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